Floating Solar Chimney Technology

To overcome todayâ€™s energy crisis, the energy industries can implement the advanced technology like floating solar chimney technology (FSCT). FSCT is quite sustainable and the most abundantly available renewable source of energy when compared to other renewable sources of energy. This technique utilises a greenhouse to trap solar energy from the sun. The objective of present work is to explore the feasibility, principle of operation, power generating capacity and past scenario behind this concept of power generation. This paper also suggests the methodology to overcome the problems. FSCT can be installed in arid, semiarid, and even in grasslands to generate power. Hence this technology would be a boon to the energy crisis.

The basic model of this structure was first built in 1982 and successfully tested for 6 years, in Spain by Prof J. Schlaich. It was a small prototype with 50kw power producing technology. Even with moderate height FSC structures of 650m, is possible the direct production cost to be approximately 45 USD/MWh.The fsc technology is a promising technology that is appropriate for areas such as desert and dry regions where other technologies are not suited because of high cost and unfavorable local conditions. This technology is a fabric structure that can be raised locally and manufactured at any place. The daily power generated by using this technology in desert areas will be proportional to the daily horizontal solar irradiation in that area.